Two farms operated by Sursan Su Urunleri AS have become the the first company awarded ASC certification for farmed sea bass and sea bream, along with two farms run by Greek company Niraeus.
The certified Turkish farms are located in Bodrum, in the south-western Aegean region of the country. The Greek farms are located in the South of Evia Island, in Aliveri, and in Fokida in the Corinthian Gulf. All four produce both sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and seabream (Sparus aurata)
“We’re delighted our farms are among the first to gain ASC certification for seabass and seabream. This underlines Sursan’s commitment to responsible fish farming,” said Kerem Göksel, Sales Director at Sursan.
“I am also proud of my team for the hard work they’ve put into the certification process. Our continuous aim will be to supply our customers with the best seabass and seabream products.”
“Congratulations to both Sursan and Nireus for all of the hard work that has gone into this achievement,” said Chris Ninnes, CEO of ASC.
“We’re delighted to see such a positive response to the standard. It’s gratifying that the first farms certified to this new standard are in Turkey and Greece, important centres of production for these increasingly popular species. Demand for sea bass, sea bream and meagre is rising, and it’s important that farms act responsibly as production expands by meeting a transparent standard for best practices that protects the environment and promotes positive outcomes for workers and the community.”
The privately-owned Sursan Su Urunleri AS was founded in 1981 in Turkey and is one of the leading producers of farmed sea bass and sea bream, employing more than 500 people at its two packing and processing facilities, eight sea bass and sea bream grow-out farms, one land based nursery farm, one hatchery, feed mill, three fish meal and oil factories and on its three fishing vessels.
“The company has a vertically integrated structure, from catching of wild fish to farmed end product. The fingerlings, feed, fish meal and fish oil – the two key raw materials used to make the feed – are own production,” Kerem Göksel said.
“We offer a range of farmed sea bass and sea bream products, including fresh and frozen, whole and gutted fish, and fillets. We are already experiencing demand for ASC certified sea bass and sea bream from our customers which shows their appreciation for the commitments we’ve made.”
